The Princess Royal met heated fibreglass sheep on her tour of a university research farm this morning.

Princess Anne spent two hours seeing the work carried out at Bangor University’s Henfaes research station in Abergwyngregyn.

As well as the fake sheep, which are used to study how much energy the animals use up in cold weather, she learned more about research into soils, potato blight and rye grass packaging for Waitrose fruit and vegetables.

Arriving by helicopter and dressed in a warm tweed-style coat and practical brown boots, she looked at home on the farm, taking a keen interest in the Welsh Mountain Section A ponies on a tour of the animal sheds.

The jovial princess chatted for several minutes with postgraduate students about the fake sheep.

They can be pumped with air which is heated up then measured as the dummies cool.

Each is placed beside a single tree or clumps of trees to see how different shelter affects heat retention.

Postgraduate student Kevin Wells, from the USA, said: “We explained how the sheep heat up and how the elements go inside and we measure the energy loss. I thought she was genuinely interested.”

The sheep, which have real wool over their fibreglass bodies, have been nicknamed Bizn and Rago by Kuwaiti and Ghanaian students.

The royal visitor also met students Petra Irvine, 22, of Llanberis, and John Hyland, 29, of County Mayo in Ireland.

Petra said: “We were telling her about our work. I’m looking at how the soil can be improved in a sustainable way without increasing greenhouse gases through pollution and bleaching into water and so on.

“She was great. She made conversation and jokes, and was interested in what we were saying.

“She completely put you at your ease. It was almost like talking to your grandma.”

John said: “Princess Anne’s knowledge of agriculture was very impressive.”

The Princess Royal also met Dr Rob Elias of the university’s Biocomposites Centre and Karen Graley, senior packaging manager for Waitrose.

The university makes rye grass packaging for some of the supermarket’s products.

Land at the Henfaes research station stretches from salt marsh lowlands to peaty uplands, and Princess Anne stood for a presentation about how researchers store carbon and water.

She also saw ponies registered with the “Snowdon” name, which was established by the university in 1918, and heard of the university’s crucial work in helping farmers restore damaged agricultural land after events like the Somerset Levels flooding.

Professor John G Hughes, vice-chancellor at Bangor University, said: “We were delighted that the Princess Royal took such a close interest in our environmental and agricultural research work.

“Our mission in this area is to provide a scientific basis for sustainable agriculture, forestry and the conservation of natural resources.”